Additional information

In addition to the disclosures required under the ESRS, DB Group reports on other topics in order to meet additional stakeholder requirements. This includes the topics of “vegetation control” and “bird protection.”

Vegetation control

We attach great importance to protecting nature and the environment. At the same time, the safety of passengers is a top priority for DB Group. The vegetation control on the tracks involves balancing these two objectives and has a significant impact on the safety, availability and environmental compatibility of our infrastructure. In order to meet these requirements, we rely on holistic, sustainable vegetation management that provides for the coordinated interplay of different measures. In particular, these include the digital and efficient planning of vegetation control, the use of new mechanical-manual methods (e.g. technologically advanced mowing equipment) and the use of plant protection products such as pelargonic acid. We share our experience and findings from this combination of measures with other European railways (DACH exchange, cooperation in the International Union of Railways). In recent years, alternative, environmentally friendly methods and application strategies in the field of mechanical vegetation management have been further developed and tested. However, these are not yet available for widespread use or are only available to a limited extent. To ensure the safety of rail operations at all times, we therefore continue to use approved herbicides as a supplement. In principle, the chemical vegetation control only uses active substances that have been specifically approved for track areas by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. Together with partners from industry and science, we are continuously driving forward the development of innovative solutions for sustainable vegetation management. We also regularly record and analyze vegetation development in order to actively manage vegetation tolerances and further optimize the measures used.

¹⁾ The length of all tracks is about 61,000 km.

The increase in the application rate of herbicidal active ingredients is due in particular to the fact that pelargonic acid was applied twice on a larger scale for the first time in 2025 in order to ensure its effectiveness. This corresponds to the manufacturer’s instructions for use and the legal requirements. In addition, more track kilometers were treated due to official approvals.

Bird protection

We work continuously to systematically monitor our environmental and nature conservation measures and develop them further on this basis. In order to be able to evaluate the effectiveness and success of bird protection measures on overhead wires more precisely in future, a multi-year research project was launched at the German Centre for Rail Traffic Research in 2023. Various camera-based methods are being investigated to record both the need for and the success of bird protection measures. In 2025, automated data collection was carried out at two locations where cameras were installed to develop a detector and classifier that can be used to assess the numbers and behavior of birds and bird species on overhead wires. At the same time, the recorded data was evaluated on a test basis by the fully automated monitoring system.

To improve the situation, bird protection measures are carried out on the insulators as part of the regular full overhead wire inspection. Traction current wires in areas that have a high risk of bird collisions are also being made safer.

The number of short-circuit events fell by about 12 % in 2025, putting it at the same level as in 2023. This development is due to natural, population-related fluctuations in bird numbers.